Louisiana Drivers Are Loving this Hot Parked Car Cooling Hack
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles, Louisiana has issued a forecast that would be too steamy for TV if it was a "Lifetime Movie" or is that "Hallmark Movie", I forget. Unfortunately, the forecast is not a fantasy it is a reality for this weekend through the end of August, at least.
Those are heat index forecast numbers for the next couple of days. And for those of you who don't believe in heat indices the air temperature is forecast to be anywhere from 94 to 97 degrees which is hot, no matter how you slice it.
Because it's so gosh darn hot, drivers in Louisiana are finding some unique ways to beat the heat this summer, in fact, many of us are using a very simple hack to drop the inside temperature of our vehicle by as much as three degrees per minute during our first ten minutes in a very hot car.
I think we've all experienced the blazing inferno that is the inside of our automobiles even after just a few minutes in the blazing summer sun. It can be relentless and you've probably seen videos like this one that really illustrate how "oven-like" a Louisiana car can get when the summer sun is bringing the heat.
For me, the most remarkable aspect of this hack is that it won't cost you a dime. And, you can probably be on your way to a much cooler ride home in less than a minute. But before we jump into the inferno, let's understand why your car gets so hot.
All the insulation that makes your car a quiet space to ride is the reason it holds the summer heat. The windows and windshield actually turn your vehicle's cabin into a greenhouse of sorts. The radiant energy of the sun is allowed in but it can't escape until you take action.
Now, you can be preemptive by using a solar shade or one of those cardboard windshield blockers. They actually can reduce the heat in your car by as much as 20%. These devices also save the skin on your legs, if you wear shorts, and you should be wearing shorts when it's this hot.
Those screens will help keep your car seats and steering wheel cool to the touch which is a lot nicer than trying to drive on searing hot seats while holding a steering wheel that's the temperature of molten steel. But still, you have a lot of heat left in the cabin thanks to all that ambient air heated by the sun.
Here's how you get that hot air out of there. When you arrive at your vehicle in its parking spot, reach across the driver's seat and open the passenger side window. If you have a fancy car, just use the electric button to lower the glass. Then you're going to want to "briskly close" your driver's side door at least half a dozen times.
The "fanning" by the door will force the ultra-heated air out of the window, leaving your car's interior temperature more in line with the outside air. This simple act can lower your car's temperature by ten to twenty degrees in a matter of moments. Now, roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioner.
If your vehicle's A/C is working as it should the removal of the ultra-heated air should allow the car's cooling system to drop the interior temperature by as much as 3.6 degrees per minute. Make sure you set the system so it is drawing in outside air instead of recirculating the hot air from inside the car. So in a little over five minutes your cabin temperature can drop as much as 20 degrees.
Many car enthusiasts also suggest you leave your car windows cracked open if you can. Of course, your desire to do that will be based on weather and crime concerns. That simple act can reduce ambient heat in your car by as much as 30 degrees depending on how much direct sunlight is focused on your car.
Sure, you'll look like a madman slamming your car door multiple times in your office parking lot but you'll be looking like a million non-sweat-soaked dollars when you're riding chill instead of riding sweaty, just because you "slammed the hell, literally" out of your car.
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Gallery Credit: Stephanie Crist